Rating: 5.9

Country: Czech Republic

Release Date: 2006

Record Label: Nice To Eat You

Track list:
1. I Despise You
2. Mankind Degeneration
3. Skinning Alive
4. Malignant Delicacy
5. Requiem II
6. In the Eyes of Mayhems
7. Industrial Slaughtering
8. Global War with the Earth
9. Virulent Procreation Intermezzo
10. RY 67

Total Playing Time: 31:14

Band Website: Smashed Face

Smashed Face - Virulent Procreation

Fred - Vocals
P.A.T. - Guitar
Eda - Bass
Pavel - Drums

If US Presidents were slamming death metal bands then the visage of Smashed Face would be squeezed between the gritted teeth of Dying Fetus and the Neanderthal brow of Devourment on Mount Rushmore. The expression "brutal groovy deathcore" provokes a range of responses almost as diverse as the word "politician" and it can usually be guaranteed that the instigator of this controversial style is inclined towards conformism. Aside from some rather anachronous interludes, Smashed Face pull no punches but given their geographical status I would have expected far more surprises in this package.

So let us tick the boxes: Random mix of harsh metalcore, guttural throat, inhalant vortex and Muppet "yah-yah-yah" vocals. Check. Bass guitar like fudge cake. Check. Overly springy sounding snares and toms. Check. At least one cheap hardcore beatdown. Check... See, nothing to worry about, everything's great, right?! Perhaps I'm being unfair? In one sense absolutely not; by the time you get to "Industrial Slaughtering" you are beginning to question whether 7 tracks worth of identical material could have been crushed into one song and instead formed the basis of a very potent EP.

Instead of letting the dense but forgettable riffage roll over you, focus on the drumming. Pavel is a special talent. Pinprick precision kicks, frantic high-hat abuse, instantaneous tempo changes and very effective use of blasting (as a groove on-off switch) - he is a veritable syncopation cyborg with a passionate organic core in the machine. By using Pavel as a reference point you will start to notice the hidden strengths of the band; the use of atonality in the chordplay, the colour added by varying the intensity of harmonics (much like Malignancy) and an excellent use of fills and staccato interruptions to prevent repeated sections from going stale. "Global War with the Earth" takes on a Cephalic Carnage twist, being darker, slicker and more monstrous. The hyperactivity of the insectoid descending harmony is maintained in the final track that is imbued with a greater sense of urgent aggression. A more detailed composition with articulate riffs ends the album on a highly satisfying note.

Sadly there isn't truly half an hour of material here and this album is likely to bore the many and excite the few. But I'd be a fool to write off a Czech band prematurely given the fertile soil for metal there (as long as they keep their drummer). The key is whether those of us playing the waiting game will ever hear another Smashed Face release to reassess their potential.

July 5th, 2008